By John Noel E. Herrera
The temporary Bailey bridge in Barangay Oyungan, Miag-ao, Iloilo is already open to light vehicles after almost two weeks of construction since Severe Tropical Storm Paeng hit the town.
The installation of the bridge was also completed “just to temporarily address the problem” of the locals after a portion of the Oyungan bridge, which connects the towns of Miag-ao and San Joaquin, Iloilo, was damaged by Paeng on Oct 28, 2022.
The Local Government Unit (LGU) of Miag-ao and the Department of Public Works and Highways’ 1st Engineering District also said that heavy vehicles are still prohibited from passing the Bailey bridge as they still need to use the alternative route provided by the DPWH.
The DPWH added that the light vehicles that are only allowed to pass the bridge include light trucks, sports utility vehicles, light delivery trucks, pick-ups, and traditional and modernized jeepneys weighing five to 10 tons.
Meanwhile, Miag-ao, Iloilo Mayor Richard Garin said that the temporary bridge may be used by motorists for a year.
Garin added that there is still no timetable yet as to when the new bridge will be built, as there are still no funds available for the construction of the bridge or the rehabilitation of the damaged old Oyungan bridge.
The LGU-Miag-ao also made sure that only light vehicles could pass the bailey bridge to avoid overloading, as they already deployed at least 10 people from the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), Philippine National Police (PNP), DPWH, and barangay tanods to guard the entry and exit point of the bridge every day.
After the onslaught of typhoon Paeng, public jeepneys and other vehicles were not allowed to pass the damaged Oyungan bridge, which caused problems for the commuters, while people were only allowed to cross the bridge on foot.
The DPWH also said that they need around P132 million for the repair and rehabilitation of the Oyungan bridge.
“This will take 250 calendar days. We will be constructing a 120 lineal meter four-span prestressed concrete girder bridge on board pile protection, including slope protection works,” DPWH Maintenance Division officer-in-charge Oliver Zamora earlier said.
